Pepsi Ballpark
Pepsi Ballpark '''(stylized as '''pepsi ballpark), originally referred to as Orcas Ballpark, is a minor league baseball stadium located in Randall City, Washington. The stadium is home to the Randall City Orcas of the Pacific Coast League as well as the Eastgate Earthquakes of the Cascade Conference and has a capacity of 14,125. It is located on Randall City's Skagit Bay waterfront. Naming rights to the stadium are owned by PepsiCo. Pepsi reportedly paid US$21 million to have its name on the stadium for 15 years. History In 1996, Randall City Orcas owner Corey Cox announced plans to build a baseball complex at Ducken Road Park which would have included a 300-seat community softball field and an 18,500-seat baseball stadium for the Orcas. When the city denied the sale of public park land for construction, the team abandoned hopes for a new stadium and continued to play at the Randall City Megadome. In 2005, Corey Cox revisted the idea of building a new baseball-specific stadium when he proposed a new stadium to be built next door to the Megadome. Plans called for a 15,000-seat stadium to be built in the south parking lot of the Megadome. Cox was extremely confident in this new bid, enough to promise naming rights to Sonic Drive-In for an agreed US$15 million. Dubbed the "Sonic Drive-In Ballpark," everything seemed to be pointing in the Orcas' favor until the Randall City Reign announced their own stadium plan which led the city to vote against both stadiums. Following the disappointment of losing out on two stadium proposals, the Orcas seemed to abandon all plans for a new stadium until Cox purchased a privately owned 32 acre lot on N. Strawberry Road with the idea of building a new stadium on the land. The land was previously owned by four private investors which Cox hoped would help convince the city to approve construction considering the other locations were all city owned parcels of land. The team revealed plans to build a 22,500-seat stadium, the largest in the Pacific Coast League, which was approved by the city following two design changes. The team agreed to cut capacity down to 20,125 in exchange for extra assistance in construction costs from the city. On July 8, 2007, a groundbreaking ceremony was held featuring four members of the Orcas organization. Construction continued until March 2009. The first game in the new stadium was on April 15, 2009 against the Portland Beavers which resulted in a 4-3 loss. Location and transportation Pepsi Ballpark is located on the Skagit Bay waterfront of Randall City's stadium district, bounded by Tokitae Avenue to the west, North Green Road to the east, and East Rose Lane to the north. Parking is available at the stadium's main parking lot located across Tokitae Avenue and the secondary lot located across East Rose Lane. Island Connections Transit operates a bus stop located in front of the stadium on North Green Road and is currently constructing a new bus transfer station and light rail stop south of nearby Mtn Dew Stadium. Category:Sports venues in Randall City